Associate of Science in Public Affairs
Students must complete one of the following concentrations: Criminal Justice,
Emergency Services Administration, Environmental Affairs, Public Administration,
or a specialized program approved by a SPEA advisor.
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
The SPEA curriculum is divided into four categories: general education,
electives, public affairs core, and a concentration area.
General Education
Communications
(Three courses for a minimum of 9 credit hours.)
The following writing course:
ENG W131 Elementary Composition (3 cr.) or
equivalent approved option
One of the following advanced writing courses:
BUS X204 Business Communications (3 cr.)
ENG W231 Professional Writing (3 cr.)
One of the following speech courses:
COMM C104 Voice and Diction (3 cr.)
COMM C180 Introduction to Interpersonal Communication (3 cr.)
COMM C223 Business and Professional Communication (3 cr.)
COMM C228 Discussion and Group Methods (3 cr.)
COMM R110 Fundamentals of Speech Communication (3 cr.)
COMM R227 Argumentation and Debate (3 cr.)
Social Sciences
(Three courses for a minimum of 9 credit hours.)
The following two courses:
ECON E201 Introduction to Microeconomics (3 cr.) or ECON E202
Introduction to Macroeconomics (3 cr.)
POLS Y103 Introduction to American Politics (3 cr.)
One course from sociology or psychology.
Quantitative Methods
(Two courses for a minimum of 6 credit hours.)
One of the following computer courses:
SPEA V261 Computers in Public Affairs (3 cr.)
CPT 115 Computer Information Systems Fundamentals (3 cr.) and
CPT 140 Programming Constructs Lab (3 cr.)
CSCI N201 Programming Concepts (3 cr.)
CSCI N207 Data Analysis Using Spreadsheets (3 cr.)
One approved mathematics course:
MATH M118 Finite Mathematics (3 cr.) or
MATH M119 Brief Survey of Calculus I (3 cr.) is recommended.
Note: Environmental affairs concentration students must select a course
in calculus to satisfy this requirement.
Arts and Humanities
(One course from one of the following subject areas for a minimum of 3 credit
hours.)
Afro-American studies
Classical studies
Communication and theatre
Comparative literature
English
Fine arts
Folklore
Foreign languages and literature
History: H105 or H106 recommended
Musicology and music history
Philosophy
Religious studies
General Electives
Additional courses beyond the general education, core, and concentration
requirements are needed to complete the Associate of Science degree requirement
of 60 credit hours.
Public Affairs Core
(Four courses)
The following courses:
SPEA V170 Introduction to Public Affairs (3 cr.)
SPEA V264 Urban Structure and Policy (3 cr.)
One of the following courses:
SPEA E262 Environment: Problems and Prospects (3 cr.)
SPEA E272 Introduction to Environmental Sciences (3 cr.)
One of the following courses:
SPEA V270 Survey of Administrative Techniques (3 cr.)
SPEA V366 Managing Behavior in Public Organizations (3 cr.)
Areas of Concentration
Criminal Justice Concentration
This concentration provides an introduction to law enforcement, correctional
administration, and criminal law and procedure.
Requirements (Five courses)
The following course:
SPEA J101 The American Criminal Justice System (3 cr.)
One of the following courses:
SPEA J301 Substantive Criminal Law (3 cr.)
SPEA J401 Criminal Law and Procedure (3 cr.)
One of the following courses:
SPEA J201 Theoretical Foundations of Criminal Justice Policies (3 cr.)
SPEA J202 Criminal Justice Data, Methods, and Resources (3 cr.)
SPEA J306 The Criminal Courts (3 cr.)
SPEA J321 Introduction to American Law Enforcement (3 cr.)
SPEA J331 Introduction to Corrections (3 cr.)
Two additional criminal justice courses.
Emergency Services Administration Concentration
The Emergency Services Administration concentration provides managerial
skills to emergency service personnel.
Requirements (Five courses)
The following course:
SPEA V375 Emergency Services Administration (3 cr.)
Three of the following courses:
SPEA H320 Health Systems Administration (3 cr.)
SPEA J376 Principles of Public Safety (3 cr.)
SPEA K300 Statistical Techniques (3 cr.) or
other approved course
SPEA V346 Introduction to Government Accounting and Financial Reporting (3
cr.)
SPEA V348 Management Science (3 cr.)
SPEA V372 Government Finance and Budgets (3 cr.)
SPEA V373 Human Resource Management in the Public Sector (3 cr.)
Students are required to complete successfully an approved administrative
field experience course of at least 3 credit hours. The field experience
requirement may be satisfied through an internship or special project that must
have an advisor’s prior approval.
Environmental Affairs Concentration
The Environmental Affairs concentration provides an introduction to
environmental problems and options for their solutions.
Requirements (Seven courses)
The following course:
SPEA V365 Urban Development and Planning (3 cr.)
A chemistry or physics course (3-5 cr.).
One of the following courses:
GEOG G107 Physical Systems of the Environment (3 cr.)
GEOL G107 Environmental Geology (3 cr.)
GEOL G110 Geology: The Earth’s Environment (3 cr.)
One of the following courses not taken as a social science requirement in the
general education area:
ECON E201 Introduction to Microeconomics (3 cr.)
ECON E202 Introduction to Macroeconomics (3 cr.)
Two of the following courses:
SPEA E431 Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment (3 cr.)
SPEA E451 Air Pollution and Control (3 cr.)
SPEA E452 Solid and Hazardous Waste Management (3 cr.)
SPEA H316 Environmental Health (3 cr.)
BIOL K341 Principles of Ecology (5 cr.)
GEOG G315 Environmental Conservation (3 cr.)
GEOL G300 Environmental and Urban Geology (3 cr.)
GEOL G415 Geomorphology (3 cr.)
GEOL G416 Economic Geology (3 cr.)
POLS Y313 Environmental Policy (3 cr.)
One of the following courses:
SPEA/MATH/PSY K300 Statistical Techniques (3 cr.)
ECON E270 Introduction to Statistical Theory in Economics and Business (3
cr.)
PSY B305 Statistics (3 cr.)
SOC R359 Introduction to Sociological Statistics (3 cr.)
Statistics 301 Elementary Statistical Methods I (3 cr.)
Public Administration Concentration
The Public Administration concentration provides an overview of the primary
areas of public administration.
Four of the following courses:
SPEA H316 Environmental Health (3 cr.)
SPEA V346 Introduction to Government Accounting and Financial Reporting (3
cr.)
SPEA V366 Managing Behavior in Public Organizations (3 cr.) (if not taken to
meet public affairs core requirement)
SPEA V372 Government Finance and Budgets (3 cr.)
SPEA V373 Human Resource Management in the Public Sector (3 cr.)
SPEA V376 Law and Public Policy (3 cr.)
Special Concentration
(Minimum of four courses)
A special concentration of at least four courses may be developed to meet
special career needs. This concentration must be approved by a faculty advisor
and the program director.
